


In a different world I could have loved you

by AStarryMystery



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Doyoung is an unlucky college student, Jaehyun is immortal, M/M, Reincarnation, This wasn't intended to be like Goblin when it was started but oh well, goblin au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-27
Updated: 2019-07-10
Packaged: 2020-05-20 13:17:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,682
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19377484
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AStarryMystery/pseuds/AStarryMystery
Summary: Doyoung's an extremely unlucky college student and Jaehyun is a god of luck that no one else can see. What happens when their fates intertwine?





	1. Chapter 1

The sun was shining down brightly against Jaehyun’s exposed skin. Beads of sweat had started to make their way down his chest.

 

It was August and the summer heat felt unbearable to him. It was on days like this that Jaehyun would sneak away from the castle, and his studies, to spend the day lazing by the river. 

 

Dongyoung would always find him hours later scolding him for running off alone.

 

There was a small happiness that Jaehyun couldn’t explain every time Dongyoung would find him. 

 

It was a part of the man’s job, after all, but out of all the guards, Dongyoung was always the one to notice he was missing. 

 

“Don’t you have more important matters to tend to.” Jaehyun would tease, pretending he didn’t notice Dongyoung’s eyes roaming over his exposed skin. 

 

 “Shouldn’t you be back at the castle going over lessons?” Dongyoung griped back. 

 

“And miss out on all the small joys in life?

 

“There’s such thing as compromise, you know. I’m certain you can figure out a way to do both. You’re really lucky, Jaehyun. There are so many people who would love to be able to learn the things being taught to you.”

 

“It doesn’t matter if I learn what they’re teaching, you know that. I’m a prince that isn’t in line for the throne and who doesn’t have the athletic ability or strategic mindset to lead the soldiers. Those positions are already filled by people far more capable than I am.”  
  
“I don’t see it that way.” 

 

“We hardly see eye to eye on these matters.”  
  
“Why are you so willing to throw your life away because other people are in charge?”  
  
“Why do you throw your youth away watching over me?”  
  
“I enjoy being around you. There are worse places I could be.”

 

“You could always be in the water with me.” Jaehyun shrugged, stepping back into the stream with a bright smile. 

 

“Not going to happen.”  
  
“Just tell everyone I slipped and fell so you went in after me. My family always eats up a good heroic story.”

 

“You’re insufferable.”  
  
“And yet you’re still here, do-ie.” 

 

“And yet I’m still here.” Dongyoung agreed with a soft sigh.

 

Jaehyun woke with a gasp, startled by the alarm blaring next to his ear. He turns off the alarm and tosses his phone to the side. There was a heaviness in his chest associated to the dream he had. Out of everyone Jaehyun had lost over centuries Dongyoung’s loss was a pain he could never move on from. 

 

He pondered the thought that maybe the dream would have hurt less if it was about something that hadn’t actually happened. 

 

The sun had just risen when Jaehyun makes his way out of his apartment. He can hear birds chirping. In the distance a baby is wailing. With a soft huff and a soft smile Jaehyun stops in front of the baby carriage when he reaches it, letting his hand gently caress over the baby’s forehead as he passes by. Jaehyun’s smile slightly brightens as the baby’s crying stops.

 

Breathing in the fresh morning air as he makes his way to his favorite local coffee shop. He was trying his best not to let the dream he had effect his entire day; Even though he wanted nothing more than to stay home and shovel ice cream into his mouth as he cried to dramas.

  
After taking a latte that was placed on the counter next to the register Jaehyun tucked himself in a corner sighing in content as he watched the customers. Some people were still sluggish while others were in a hurry to get out of the door as quickly as they possibly could. There were only a few people seated.

 

He loved the atmosphere the small coffee shop held. The strong smell of vanilla and roasted coffee was as soothing as ever. It was an easy place to sit and watch the world pass by. Right now he watched as the barista struggled with the usual morning rush. 

 

Normally, there would be two workers manning the register. Jaehyun could only guess what happened to the other young man who normally worked this morning shift. Jaehyun had a soft spot for the Barista that was currently working. He was a young man that liked to go by Ten. 

 

Ten was a dancer who taught evening classes in a small studio. The first time Jaehyun saw Ten the boy was crying in the empty studio that had been vandalized. Slurs had been spray painted onto the walls and mirrors in the room. Even though things weren’t perfect for the boy, a lot of things had changed since the moment Jaehyun first laid eyes on him.

 

Ten was extremely talented and he seemed to know exactly how to showcase the best aspects of another person. Jaehyun was grateful that the small space that made Ten feel at home became a safe place for so many others because Ten didn’t back down or give up on his goals. That scared broken boy with tears in his eyes that Jaehyun met years ago no longer existed. 

 

He noticed a boy, probably around the age of 19, typing frantically to his left. If he had to guess, Jaehyun would bet that the kid had pushed an essay off to the last minute, being left to try to finish quickly in the few hours left before his class started.  

Pulling a book out of his leather messenger bag he flips through the pages, enjoying the quiet noises of the cafe as he read.

 

He currently held a copy of **_The Stranger_ ** by Albert Camus in his palms. Jaehyun had been going through a phase where he would read well received works of literature waiting for his negative opinion to be changed. He felt a lot of authors were over praised. It was irritating to Jaehyun how women were written about in most praised works from decades ago. 

 

It was well past noon when he had finished his book. He was left feeling conflicted. Deciding it was a good time to leave. It was in moments like these that Jaehyun missed being able to talk to other people. He wanted to discuss his thoughts, vent his frustrations over something simple like a novel. There were days where he’d speak his thoughts openly even though no one would hear him. 

   
Feeling frustrated he walked up to the counter and gently patted Ten, the barista’s, hand before he walked out. Hopefully, the day wouldn’t be too bad for the barista now working his shift alone. 

Jaehyun had been used to time passing in a blur. He was free to wander the streets, to go anywhere he pleased. Despite the freedom, he hardly ever left Seoul. He wasn’t sure what he was looking for, but he knew one day it would come. He had to believe that.

 

There was a short period where the only thing he would do was sleep. He refused to leave his bed. The sun seemed like his enemy back then. He felt hopeless but being surrounded by nothing but silence was worse than just feeling invisible. He didn’t like being left alone in the deafening silence to ponder his thoughts on the future and the past for too long.

 

You see, Jaehyun’s life hadn’t always been this way, not in the slightest. He had grown accustomed to modern day advances, distracting technology, but Jaehyun’s life had been much more simple than this and much more complex at the same time.  
  
Jaehyun had been watching people die for the last thousand years. This was his punishment. Unable to talk to people, unable to be seen, unable to die. His entire being surrounded by glamour and illusion. 

 

His only grace was being turned into a god of luck. He could fall in love with people, help bring luck into their life, but he wasn’t allowed to be apart of their lives. They were never allowed to know Jaehyun was there at all. 

 

Jaehyun lived in a luxurious apartment that didn’t seem to exist to people. He could touch people, but they were never able to tell that it was Jaehyun that shoved them from harm’s way, or that it was Jaehyun sharing luck and not just a random bug on their skin. It was infuriating living in a world that he had no chance of being known in.

 

No one knows Jaehyun even existed, the last and only person Jaehyun had ever been seen by after his change had died long ago. 

 

Jaehyun was a prince who lived a sheltered life. The only person who had been able to interact with Jaehyun after the curse was placed on him was his guard, and best friend, Dongyoung. 

 

Jaehyun was a prince who witnessed tragedy. A prince who sat and did nothing to prevent the slaughtering of his own people. Jaehyun wasn’t directly in line for the throne, he wasn’t interested in politics, he lived behind sheltered walls. Jaehyun should have done more with the life he was given. He could have stopped the massacre that had happened if only he had paid a little more attention. Jaehyun had always refused to be active in the matters in his life and in the end everything he loved had been destroyed in the most gruesome of ways. 

 

The arrow that was supposed to end Jaehyun’s life was deemed too forgiving for the innocent lives lost by his indifference to his surroundings. The gods had chosen to curse Jaehyun gifting him luck. Now the only thing Jaehyun could do was bring positivity in others lives.

 

Back then Dongyoung was still alive, amazingly. Jaehyun was never sure why Dongyoung was the only person allowed to know of his existence, allowed to know Jaehyun hadn’t really passed,  but he was grateful for his companion. 

 

In comparison to Jaehyun, Dongyoung didn’t have very much time to spend. Jaehyun misses the nights he could be consoled. Jaehyun misses being able to have conversations with the person who knew him the most. He misses being held. It’d be a lie if he said he never tried to end his immortality. 

 

Jaehyun sighed softly as he felt soft raindrops fall onto his skin. He was soaked as he made his way around the local college campus. Looking up at the sky, he was content. He had always loved how soothing the rain was. 

 

A chill ran through Jaehyun’s core, his body responding to the scene falling out in front of his eyes before he could question it. Jaehyun frantically ran to where the boy was standing with his head down, startled when his hands made contact with warm skin, pulling him back towards the sidewalk and the grass. They both wound up on the ground. The man was staring up at him with wide eyes realizing he almost got hit by a car. 

 

“Dongyoung?” Jaehyun whispered softly.

 

“Can you help me up?” The man below him asked with a soft groan, his hands still clutched onto Jaehyun. 

 

Jaehyun’s breath was caught in his throat as he looked down upon the boy waiting for him to realize no one was there. 

 

“I hurt my ankle, can you help?” 

 

 

 A/N: Thank you for reading. If you want to ask me something about my fics: [ Tumblr ](https://astarrymystery.tumblr.com/) |  [ Twitter ](https://twitter.com/infinityonadri) | [ Ko-fi ](https://ko-fi.com/astarrymystery)


	2. Chapter 2

Doyoung wiped vigorously at his tears. There was a heaviness in his chest that he couldn’t handle, lingering anxiety leaving him gasping for breath.

 

At this rate he was going to fail his college classes. His girlfriend had just dumped him and he had absolutely zero groceries in his fridge.

 

Doyoung was long overdue for a breakdown. He wasn’t sure how he was getting along anymore.

 

More days than not he felt like a zombie trying to go through the motions just to make it through the year. He was barely scraping along and nothing seemed to be going right.

 

Actually, Doyoung couldn’t remember a time when something had gone right. It was like he was cursed, bad luck seemingly followed him.Doyoung’s parents died at a young age, leaving him in the custody of an indifferent uncle that wasn’t entirely fond of him.

 

His uncle was an alcoholic and Doyoung had to work himself to death to be able to afford moving into a crappy apartment away from him when he had come of age.

It took twice as long as it should have because his uncle not only stole from his savings on days Doyoung had kept cash on him, the man also leeched off his inheritance making it so Doyoung didn’t see any of it when he lived with the man.

 

He had a hard time keeping friends and an even harder time at keeping romantic interests around.

 

He wasn’t shocked to find out that his now ex-girlfriend had cheated on him. He hated himself for having suspicion but he hated being right even more. She had been losing interest in Doyoung fast and it wasn’t hard to tell that someone else had caught her eye.

 

He wasn’t in love with the girl, but it still stung nonetheless.

 

He felt so alone. He just wanted someone to be interested in staying for once. He was so tired of how quickly things left his life. It felt like there was so much missing. Doyoung wasn’t sure if he was just being hopeful, but it felt like there was someone that’s supposed to be beside him.

 

 

Despite the cold exterior Doyoung often held, he was an over-sentimental and hopeless romantic that couldn’t deny he longed for someone to spend his life with. Was financial stability and a romantic partner too much to ask for?

 

 

Looking over at the old acoustic guitar by his bed, he pulled it to his lap and let his fingers strum over the chords with a small hum. These moments were what helped Doyoung get through. The time he could spend strumming on his guitar until his fingers were calloused and sore.

 

 

When he would sing until his voice was hoarse. The moments where Doyoung could write his heart out into a small journal only to sing the words out loud when anxiety hit; disregarding the slight tremor to his vocals.

 

 

He spent his morning singing away and ignoring the world the best that he could. By lunchtime Doyoung wanted nothing more than to stay home and be a self-loathing ball of stress,  
but he knew his GPA couldn’t afford him missing any class time so he forced himself to rush out the door.

 

 

Classes went by uneventful. Well, apart from the fact that his professor loathed him. His professor took any opportunity he saw to embarrass him. Doyoung might have zoned out the entire class period after turning in his assignments that were due; He blamed that on his hatred to listening to the man’s lectures. When someone was so condescending towards him it made it hard for him to want to listen to their voice.

 

Outside of the college’s main building a group of people were surrounding a tall man who was screaming about damage done to his car.

 

Doyoung wasn’t able to see how bad of shape the car was in from where he was standing but he assumed the damage was more than just a scratch.The campus parking lot was always chaotic.There were never enough spaces for students but the school wouldn’t budge despite having space for a new parking lot to be added in. It was humorous just how much money it cost for students to take these classes on campus and yet they still refused to care about the well being of the student body.

 

Doyoung looked up at the sky in disdain as rain started to trickle down. Putting his headphones in he started walking across the campus, the only thing on his mind was getting home and out of the cold storm.

 

He had been scolded by his professor earlier that evening and he was ready to put the day behind him; Still not fully over getting dumped either. He was trying to cross the street when he’s suddenly shoved to the ground.

 

Doyoung stays there, the wind knocked out of him. It takes him a moment to remember how to breathe. With wide eyes Doyoung notices a little late that he was almost hit by a car.

 

The guy who had pushed him to safety was staring down at him looking shocked. He was mouthing something that Doyoung couldn’t hear. A plea for help left Doyoung’s lips as he realized how hard it was going to be to stand on his own.

 

The searing pain from his ankle made him tear up, but he refused to cry, even if the rain could possibly mask it. The smell of wet pavement assaulting Doyoung’s nose as he tried to calm himself.

 

After the shock had settled Doyoung was embarrassed, to say the least. He had managed to get back to his apartment with the help of the stranger. His clothes were soaked and filthy, mud had managed to cover him. He internally winced any time his body pressed against the man that was helping him walk.

 

He felt bad for causing this stranger so much trouble. The man seemed to be in shock, even though Doyoung was the one that was almost hit. It was easy to tell the man’s coat was designer and he couldn’t believe he was getting mud all over it.

 

The man looked lost in Doyoung’s small apartment, as if he wasn’t sure what he should do. Doyoung figured he’d be lost too if he had taken it upon himself to help an injured stranger home. What was the protocol for this type of thing? The man was probably just waiting for Doyoung to announce he was fine and that it was okay for the man to leave.

 

“You don’t really have to stay; You’ve done enough helping me get home.” Doyoung rushed out, his voice higher than normal, knowing the only thing he wanted to do was take a warm shower.

 

“I’d feel more comfortable knowing you’re able to settle down safely. My name is Jaehyun, by the way.” The man, Jaehyun, offered a kind smile to Doyoung.

 

Doyoung felt his stomach swoop as he took in how beautiful Jaehyun’s smile was. Trying to keep his face from showing how flustered Doyoung had become so simply, he cleared his throat and offered a smile back.

 

“I think I just need to take a shower and then I’ll be okay.” Doyoung shifted.

 

“You should also ice your ankle and take some anti-inflammatories after that shower.”

 

Jaehyun really didn’t want to leave. Someone could finally see him, that person having the same face as the man who had haunted his dreams.

 

Leaving was the hardest thing Jaehyun’s had to do in ages, but he couldn’t just demand Doyoung to let a stranger take care of him. He didn’t want to do anything that would cause Doyoung to think he was a creep.

 

Jaehyun’s reaction to seeing him was bad enough on it’s own. He hadn’t known how to respond to Doyoung, how to react in a better way than he had.

 

“Can I see your phone?” Jaehyun asked and then remembered to clarify “So I can give you my number. It’s silly but if I had been the one to get hurt I don’t think I would have had anyone around to help me if I really needed it.”

 

Doyoung bit his lip but nodded, handing over his phone. Jaehyun had sent himself a text from Doyoung’s phone before handing it back. Even if the circumstances were odd, Doyoung wasn’t going to deny a cute guy wanting to give him his number.

 

“Call me if you need anything at all, okay?” Jaehyun smiled once more, before forcing himself to leave.

 

Doyoung winced harshly as he checked his reflection in the bathroom mirror, letting out a soft whine. There was no way Jaehyun was being anything more than kind with how disheveled Doyoung’s appearance was.

 

There was dirt coating his neck, his clothes, he was drenched from the rain. He couldn’t help but pout. He would wind up looking like a total mess in front of someone that cute.

 

Doyoung really had wanted to stay home after cleaning up; To throw on pajamas and curl up in his bed. He knew his ankle could use some rest too. But he also knew his bank account couldn’t afford him missing a night of work this week.

 

Even if he didn’t want to leave his room, he knew the distraction could also help. He wanted to curse himself for prioritizing academia and the workplace when he was injured and in a bad mental state, but he didn’t want to wind up homeless because he couldn’t pay rent.

 

At least when working as a bartender he wasn’t the only person in the room trying to wallow in sorrow or trying to forget their stress. Sometimes older men and women hit on Doyoung to an uncomfortable extent, but those people usually tipped the best as well so Doyoung couldn’t complain too much.

 

He was greeted by Taeyong as he made his way into the small pub. This month the man had his hair dyed a vibrant red that contrasted beautifully with his complexion. It was one of the perks about where they worked, Taeyong could come in with vibrant hair colors and piercings and the owner would never spare a glance to his eccentric appearance.

 

“Are you sure you’re okay to work?” Taeyong asked inquisitively after noticing that Doyoung was limping. He had only been at work for five minutes and it was already obvious he was injured.

“I’ll be fine, it’s one of our slow nights, anyway.” He reassured, even though it was hard to mask the pain that was clearly written on his face.

 

The room was illuminated a fluorescent purple. The bar smelled strongly of stale alcohol and smoke. Whoever was on shift last definitely skipped out on cleaning up spilled beer and vodka.

 

It was always easy to tell when that happened. It was a nice bar, usually well kept and aesthetically pleasing, but nothing could stop the odor of spilled alcohol left to dry and set over a period of hours.

 

The start of the evening had been slow. It was a few hours into his shift when a tall man with a hat had sat at the seat that was almost directly in front of him as he was wiping down the marble counter of the bar.

 

With his hands busy he expected Taeyong to rush and ask the man what drink he had wanted. There was something off putting about how Taeyong wound up ignoring the man so obviously.

 

That wasn’t his usual work behavior. Taeyong normally opted to handle most of the customers since he was better at making conversation with the more talkative ones than Doyoung could ever hope to be.

 

It made Doyoung wonder if there was something more to the situation that he didn’t understand. Maybe Taeyong knew the man and he was trouble. Doyoung could admit that the guy was attractive, or maybe he only thought that because of how tall the man was. His proportions were intimidatingly beautiful. Perhaps he was one of Taeyong’s flings gone wrong.

 

It was at that moment, Doyoung staring at the man through the corner of his eye, when all hell broke loose. There was a man convulsing in the center of the bar’s floor and several screams could be heard. The man with the hat was suddenly moving, predictably towards the chaos in the middle of the room. Doyoung didn’t bother to question it, swiftly heading to the front of the bar to call an ambulance.

 

It was the first time Doyoung had ever witnessed a person having a seizure, of sorts, and it was terrifying. He regretted his earlier comment that tonight would be a slow one. As if one man dropping to the bar’s floor convulsing wasn’t enough, soon another person had as well. It was a hell of a coincidence that made his veins run icy.

 

“Don’t drink or eat anything that’s in this bar.” He whispered to Taeyong among the chaos that had broken out after having called for help.

 

“You think something’s been tampered with?” Taeyong questioned sounding incredibly skeptical.

 

“Two people seize up on our floor on the same night in the span of, what, half an hour or less, and you don't?

 

“Don’t say that, Doyoung; We’re gonna be the ones getting questioned if that’s true. I don’t want to be here until 4 a.m. Hopefully, everyone’s gonna be okay and it was just an odd occurrence.”

 

“We’re going to have to close the bar down and medics are going to have to check everyone here, this is a nightmare.” He muttered in exasperation.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would just like to clarify that because Jaehyun can’t be seen, what people notice with Doyoung when he’s in Jaehyun’s presence gets distorted. People are aware there’s something there and subconsciously drawn to avoid it. It’s as if anything related to Jaehyun becomes filtered out and replaced with something else.

  
  
Doyoung wished Taeyong had been right. Both of the people had died. A toxicology report would take weeks but the police were planning to question everyone working for the bar.   
  
Taeyong and Doyoung had the honor to be the first questioned seeing as they were on duty when the incident happened.  
  
  
“You didn’t notice anything strange?” The officer had questioned.  
  
  
  
Doyoung did his best to recall what had happened earlier that night. The events seemed a little blurry to him. Everything had gone downhill so fast. He remembered the smell and how dirty their counter had been when he came in.  
  
  
“Usually our bar is kept decently clean. When I came on shift things were a bit messier than usual. I’m not sure if someone had missed their shift earlier and that’s why things were kind of messy or if it was something else. Nothing other than that comes to mind.”  
  
  
“Were there things out of place or was the bar just messier than normal?”  
  
  
Doyoung took a minute to think. “Uh, there were some things out of place. One of our inventory books had been left out front when it’s usually only kept in the back office. The boss doesn’t like us taking it out to the front. Some bottles had been a little out of order from how we keep the front stocked. Just some small things that seemed kind of meaningless. ”  
  
  
“Is your boss normally on sight when you do your shifts?”  
  
  
“Oh, Yuta, it depends. He checks on us and if it’s a busy night he’ll come help us get caught up. He doesn’t really come in on a Tuesday, though. They’re one of our slower nights.”  
  
  
“So he wasn’t there tonight?”  
  
  
  
“No, he wasn’t.” Doyoung wondered if Yuta's presence really mattered or not.  
  
  
  
“Do you recall who served the drinks to the deceased?”  
  
  
“I’m not really sure. There’s a security camera at the area where we serve. Yuta has it there for evidence in case someone ever tried to hurt one of us while we’re on shift, you’d probably be able to find out that way.”  
  
  
Doyoung had to recall his shift three times to the questioning police officer. It was worse for Taeyong, who had been working double shifts that night, he was sure.   
  
Taeyong was still being questioned by the time Doyoung was free to leave. It was nerve-wracking being interrogated by police, even if he was innocent.   
  
The questions were just to gain insight but he hated how it seemed as Taeyong, Yuta, or himself were possibly guilty of trying to harm people when there wasn’t even evidence back yet that the two people who died were poisoned.    
  
  
It wasn’t uncommon for people to accidentally mix things that shouldn’t be mixed with alcohol, although that didn’t always kill a person, there was always that dangerous risk that it could.  
  
  
It was later than usual and he knew he had missed the bus he would normally take home. Heaving a sigh because he was aware he wouldn’t be able to make it home on foot with his ankle injured. It was 3 a.m. and he didn’t know what to do.    
  
  
He definitely wasn’t going to try to get a ride from his uncle. Anyone he could think of would be in bed at this time, unlikely to answer a call from him.   
  
It’s not like Doyoung really had much of a social life either, outside of Yuta and Taeyong. He was really grateful to them both. When Doyoung was fired from his last job Taeyong was enthusiastic about getting him hired to work with him at the bar. The bar had been short staffed when he was first hired on. Outside of work, and the odd college acquaintance, Doyoung didn’t really talk to many other people.  
  
  
Scrolling through his contacts his finger hovered over Jaehyun’s contact info that had been saved earlier that day. He doubted the man would be awake but he found the courage to text him anyway. It was dark and eerie outside and Doyoung felt paranoid; He just wanted to go home.  
  
  
[There was an accident at my work this evening. I’m kind of stuck out here alone feeling creeped out. You wouldn’t be able to pick me up if you’re awake, would you? I’m scared and I don’t think my ankle could handle the walk.]   
  
  
Doyoung attached a quick selfie of him pouting under the streetlight before sending the text.  
  
  
The reply came much quicker than Doyoung expected. Actually, Doyoung hadn’t expected a reply at all.   
  
  
_**Jaehyun: [Cute]**_  
  
 _ **Jaehyun: [Sure, give me the address?]**_  
  
 _ **Jaehyun: [Also be careful, you shouldn’t be out alone so late at night! :( ]**_  
  
  
His face warmed after reading the compliment. Looking down at the messages again his chest tightened as he realized if it hadn’t been for Jaehyun he really would have been left out alone in the dark with no one to call for help. He was really lucky Jaehyun had decided to give him his number earlier that day.  
  
  
The night air was crisp, bitterly cold, and he still felt on edge waiting outside so late. Maybe it had been his imagination but Doyoung didn’t like what he thought he saw in the bar.  
  
  
 It was a shocking event, he was sure anyone could have thought they saw something peculiar when they hadn’t. Moments before the two at the bar had stopped breathing Doyoung thought he saw a light leaving them.   
  
It hadn’t been a metaphorical light, it was one that shined brightly until it didn’t, leaving a translucent apparition of the two that had passed behind.     
  
  
It creeped him out to say the least. People responded to shock differently and that’s what he wanted to leave it at. Although, it wasn’t the first time something like this had happened.   
  
  
Back before he was able to move into his apartment he had stayed a week with Taeyong and Taeyong’s roommate Taeil while the electricity and water were getting turned on. It was late one night and they thought they saw a shadow in the hallway. Taeyong felt too scared to shower alone because of that; The first time he tried to after that night he wound up screaming for Doyoung to come help him out of fear.

  
  
Taeil had mocked them because he thought they were using the whole seeing a ghost thing as an excuse to shower together, but the thing is, Doyoung really had seen something. It freaked Taeyong out immensely.   
  
  
That wasn’t even the weirdest part of the story; One night they found Taeil bumping his head into the wall, repeatedly, and walking into furniture. He looked as if he had been possessed. It was later chalked up to a case of sleepwalking, but it felt oddly more malicious than that. Doyoung couldn’t properly explain it.  
  


  
There were times during that period where Taeil would completely space out. The sleepwalking wasn’t the only odd behavior the man had exhibited. Once he caught the man with his eyes rolled into the back of his head.There was a dark energy that loomed around Taeil but Doyoung was just terrified of the energy Taeyong’s old apartment would give off in general. It was safe to say he didn’t make lots of visits to that place once his utilities for his own apartment had been turned on.

  
  
He would feel crazy for being so paranoid if Taeyong hadn’t felt the same as him. Taeyong had went as far as to get holy water and spritz it around the place before spritzing a sleeping Taeil as discreetly as he could.Once the electricity was set up in Doyoung’s new apartment Taeyong decided to stay with him on some nights when he felt too scared to be alone. That happened far less frequently now that Taeyong had managed to move out of that creepy apartment complex.  
  


  
Ten minutes had passed uneventfully, despite Doyoung’s initial worry, and Jaehyun’s sleek Audi R8 looked so out of place in such a rundown part of the city.   
  


  
“I thought you were going to rest your ankle?” Jaehyun questioned as soon as he had entered the car His tone was more concerned than scolding or judgmental. Jaehyun had the seat’s heating on and Doyoung had to hold back a sigh of comfort at the warmth.  
  
  
  
Feeling slightly embarrassed he shrugged. “I needed the shift.”

  
  
“Were you able to eat anything?” Doyoung shook his head feeling almost like a child. Normally people didn’t ask him questions like this.   
  


  
“You didn’t take any medicine either, did you?” Doyoung shook his head no again.

  
  
He hadn’t had the time to go grocery shopping or to pick up food and he didn’t want to risk taking pain medication on an empty stomach. He had enough things to worry about, he didn’t need a stomach ulcer on top of it.

  
  
  
“Doyoung, it’s not good to take a shift on a swollen injured ankle.” Jaehyun whined and it caused Doyoung to snort. He didn’t want to admit Jaehyun’s whining had made his heart swoop.   
  
  
“I’m aware. Sometimes you have to do things you don’t want to, though.”

  
  
It was easy to see that Jaehyun wanted to disagree with him but he didn’t say anything else about it.

  
  
“Fried chicken or home cooked meal?” Jaehyun asked out of nowhere and Doyoung was left too confused to know how to properly answer.

  
  
“What?”  
  
  
“Would you rather have fried chicken or a home cooked meal?”  
  
  
“I guess a home cooked meal.”  
  
  
“Are you okay with coming to my apartment for that?”   
  
  
  
He was shocked the man was really willing to feed him. Doyoung was tired but he felt too antsy, he knew if he declined he’d be stuck at home unable to fall asleep while being annoyingly hungry and in pain.  
  
  
“I guess that would be okay.”  
  
  
Maybe agreeing to go home with a stranger wasn’t the greatest idea, but Doyoung couldn’t find it in himself to care. He felt comfortable around Jaehyun. He was also certain if Jaehyun had wanted to hurt him he would have earlier in the day when he had taken him into his home.  
  
  
Seeing the apartment building Jaehyun lived in was another moment where Doyoung felt out of place in Jaehyun’s presence. He internally cringed thinking about how much it would cost to live in such a luxurious building.   
  
  
He knew Jaehyun would live somewhere beautiful going by his car and designer clothing but he hadn’t been expecting this. It almost made Doyoung want to be bitter towards the man. He and Taeyong often made fun of people with too much money.   
  
  
It wasn’t fair to judge people based on their income alone, but the amount of people who work themselves to the bone, barely making enough to survive, while the head of companies leech away off of their hard work made it hard not to be bitter towards the wealthy.  
  
  
It was another reason Doyoung adored Yuta, the man really did care about his employees well-being.  
  
  
Doyoung was left in awe once they entered the building. Jaehyun had lived on the highest floor of the building. The interior of Jaehyun’s apartment  was what you’d expect from the man.   
  
  
It was stylish, a modern black and white color combination filling the entire place. The carpet white and fluffy, his couch a black faux leather piece that looked inviting. The smell of sugar plum filling the air. Doyoung assumed the sweet scent came from an oil diffuser somewhere in the room.  
  
  
“Does japchae sound alright? I already had some shiitake mushrooms soaking for it.” Jaehyun asked, pulling Doyoung out of his judgmental thought process as he lead the way towards the kitchen.   
  
  
Jaehyun may have been well off, but it was clear he was also a very kind person. They’ve known each other for less than a full day and he had already came to Doyoung’s rescue twice.  
  
  
Doyoung nodded. “What’s the special occasion? That’s a lot of different veggies you’re gonna have to chop.” He was mainly teasing but it was true. He figured Jaehyun would just want to cook some meat or something.  
  
  
“Don’t underestimate me; I’m a pro with veggies! We’re both adults, Doyoungie. We can have japchae whenever we want.”   
  
  
Jaehyun hadn’t been lying, he was good with veggies. It was endearing to watch as Jaehyun chopped vegetables and assembled the dish. He handled everything with care.   
  
The red peppers and shredded carrots stood out vibrantly against the clear noodles and green spinach when he had finished. The dish didn’t just look pretty, the flavour of the sweet and savory dish was well balanced. It was the best thing Doyoung had tasted in ages.   
  
  
He didn’t have the time to eat out often and he also didn’t have family to make these types of dishes for him growing up. He stuck with fruits for breakfast and instant food that was quick and easy for dinner. The only time he got home cooked food is when Taeyong felt the need to cook for him.   
  
  
Jaehyun had been generous in the portion he gave Doyoung, giving the man a plate that looked like it was fit for two people instead of one.  
  
  
It was amusing to Doyoung that Jaehyun managed to look elegant even when eating.   
  
  
Jaehyun had also sat a bottle of Tylenol in front of Doyoung before they had started eating. He downed two of the pills after he had finished the meal. Doyoung had been ignoring the pain as best as he could but the reminder that he was injured put his focus back onto his sore ankle.  
  
  
  
They had settled down on Jaehyun’s couch, an icepack on Doyoung’s ankle at Jaehyun’s request. It seemed he was persistent that Doyoung was going to be taken care of, regardless of how Doyoung had been ignoring the injury.  
  
  
“So what happened at work?”  
  
  
Doyoung sighed softly, shaking his head. “Two people died during my shift. Weird stuff happens every day but it looks pretty suspicious when two people start seizing up in a bar and die not long after. We don’t know if they were poisoned or what. The police had to question all of us because of it.”   
  
  
“That’s got to be one hell of a buzzkill.”   
  
  
“Yeah, it’s probably going to be bad for business if word gets around. This will most likely sound stupid, but I swear, I thought I saw the light leave them when they died.”  
  
  
“Doyoung, that was a traumatic thing to see. You were in shock, that’s not stupid.”  
  
  
“Sure, but it does sound pretty stupid when I say I saw them turn into apparitions after.”    
  
  
“You think you saw their ghosts after they died?”  
  
  
Doyoung shrugged. “I saw a man in a hat talking to them too, the ghosts that is.”  
  
  
  
Jaehyun’s eyes narrowed and it made Doyoung shift uncomfortably under the sudden gaze.  
  
  
“You don’t normally see ghosts, do you?”  
  
  
  
“Sometimes, It’s weird. I think I see them the most when I’m around my coworker.”  
  


  
“Want to take me ghost hunting sometime then?”  
  
  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> If anyone would like to support my writing I was prompted to set up a ko-fi page. https://ko-fi.com/astarrymystery Thank you guys for reading!


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